Frequency synthesizers have typically been provided with reference frequency signals from crystal controlled frequency oscillators having temperature compensation circuits for use in frequency stabilized radio communications. These compensation circuits may be composed of analog or digital devices and are used to provide a relatively flat frequency output over temperature. Typically, a capacitive element is provided to allow absolute adjustment of the final frequency of the oscillator. This capacitive element is generally either in the form of a trim capacitor or an analog varactor controlled by an applied DC voltage. By adjusting this capacitance, the user is able to adjust (warp) the oscillator onto a desired final frequency.
As should be recognized by those skilled in the prior art, the frequency adjustment range (warpability) of a crystal controlled frequency oscillator is limited by the physical size of the crystal and its electrodes. An increase in warpability necessitates the use of a crystal with an increased width-to-thickness ratio. However, an increase of width-to-thickness ratio causes a crystal to be more fragile and more costly than a crystal without a higher warpability requirement. Further, the long term stability of a highly warpable crystal is compromised due to its more sensitive nature.
Warpability may also be increased by the use of a capacitive element having a larger tuning range. However, this typically requires that the element be of a physically larger size. Along with increasing the cost and size of the oscillator, the size of the element may bring other problems. In particular, analog varactors are necessarily large and do not scale as well with integrated circuit process shrinks as do digital circuits. Additionally, these reactive elements have their own variation with temperature, outside of the crystal temperature variation, which must be controlled by an applied voltage, as well as being compensated along with the crystal temperature variation. For good temperature performance of a varactor, a high supply voltage is needed for bias. However, this restricts the use of a lower voltage, single-supply operated frequency oscillator. Further, the oscillator AC voltage output swing must also be controlled to prevent the varactor from conducting.
In typical frequency synthesizer applications, the frequency is manipulated three or more times. First, a crystal controlled frequency oscillator has temperature compensation circuitry applied to provide a relatively flat frequency output over temperature. Second, the oscillator is warped onto a desired frequency. Third, this corrected oscillator frequency is multiplied in a phase locked loop (PLL) to produce the higher frequencies required in local oscillators in radio communications equipment. It would be advantageous to temperature compensate a synthesizer output frequency with a single element without incorporating additional synthesizer elements.
There is a need for a temperature compensated frequency oscillator using a PLL frequency synthesizer which: achieves more accurate, linear and repeatable temperature compensation with more simplified circuitry; does not need tunable reactive elements to warp the oscillator onto the desired frequency thereby allowing smaller, less expensive elements to be used; provides a temperature-dependent frequency multiplying element whereby temperature compensation of the crystal oscillator and other circuit elements in the frequency synthesizer is achieved. In addition, it is desirable to provide a low cost, small sized, low current drain, high yield oscillator and PLL that allows control of the temperature compensation of the crystal oscillator and other circuit elements, warping, and frequency multiplication of the PLL without incurring any detrimental spurious frequency responses.